“I therefore, the prisoner
in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye
were called, with all lowliness and meekness.”

It is
the virtue of teachers to aim not at praise, nor at esteem from those
under their authority, but at their salvation, and to do every thing
with this object; since the man who should make the other end his aim,
would not be a teacher but a tyrant. Surely it is not for this that God
set thee over them, that thou shouldest enjoy greater court and
service, but that thine own interests should be disregarded, and every
one of theirs built up. This is a teacher’s duty: such an one was
the blessed Paul, a man who was free from all manner of vanity, and was
contented to be one of the many, nay more, to be the very least even of
them. Hence he even calls himself their servant, and so generally
speaks in a tone of supplication. Observe him then even now writing
nothing dictatorial, nothing imperious, but all chastened and
subdued.

“I therefore,” saith
he, “the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of
the calling wherewith ye were called.” What is it, tell me, thou
art beseeching? Is it that thou mayest gain any end for thyself? No,
saith he, in no wise; it is that I may save others. And yet surely they
who beseech, do so for things which are of importance to themselves.
True; and this, saith he, is of importance to myself, according to what
he says also elsewhere in his writings, “Now we live, if ye stand
fast in the Lord;” (1 Thess. iii.
8.)
for he ever earnestly desired the salvation of those whom he was
instructing.

“I, the prisoner in the
Lord.” Great and mighty dignity! Greater than that of king or of
consul, or of any other. Hence it is the very title he uses in writing
to Philemon, “As Paul the 85aged, and now a prisoner also
of Jesus Christ.” (Philemon 9.) For nothing is
so glorious as a bond for Christ’s sake, as the chains that were
bound around those holy hands; more glorious is it to be a prisoner for
Christ’s sake than to be an Apostle, than to be a Teacher, than
to be an Evangelist. Is there any that loveth Christ, he will
understand what I am saying. Is any transported and fired with devotion
for the Lord, he knows the power of these bonds. Such an one would
rather choose to be a prisoner for Christ’s sake, than to have
the Heavens for his dwelling. More glorious than any gold were the
hands he was showing to them, yea, than any royal diadem. Yes, no
jewelled tiara bound around the head invests it with such glory, as an
iron chain for Christ’s sake. Then was the prison more glorious
than palaces, yea, than heaven itself. Why say I than palaces? Because
it contained a prisoner of Christ. Is there any that loveth Christ, he
knows the dignity of this title, he knows what a virtue is this, he
knows how great a boon he bestowed upon mankind, even this, to be bound
for His sake. More glorious this, perhaps to be bound for His sake,
than “to sit at His right hand,” (Matt. xx. 21.) more august
this, than to “sit upon the twelve thrones.” (Matt. xix.
28.)

And why speak I of human
glories? I am ashamed to compare earthly riches and golden attire to
these bonds. But forbearing to speak of those great and heavenly
glories, even were the thing attended with no reward at all, this alone
were a great reward, this an ample recompense, to suffer these
hardships for the sake of the Beloved. They that love, even though it
be not God, but man, they know what I am saying, since they are more
delighted to suffer for, than to be honored by those they love. But to
fully understand these things belongs to the holy company, the
Apostles, I mean, and them alone. For hearken to what the blessed Luke
saith, (Acts v. 11.) “that they departed from the presence of the
council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for
the Name.” To all others indeed it seems to be foolishness, that
to suffer dishonor is to be counted worthy, that to suffer dishonor is
to rejoice. But to them that understand the love of Christ, this is
esteemed of all things the most blessed. Were any to offer me my
choice, the whole Heaven or that chain, that chain I would prefer. Were
any to ask whether he should place me on high with the Angels, or with
Paul in his bonds, the prison I would choose. Were any about to change
me into one of those powers, that are in Heaven, that are round about
the throne, or into such a prisoner as this, such a prisoner I would
choose to be. Nothing is more blessed than that chain. Would that I
could be at this moment in that very spot, (for the bonds are said to
be still in existence,) to behold and admire those men, for their love
of Christ. Would that I could behold the chains, at which the devils
fear and tremble, but which Angels reverence. Nothing is more noble
than to suffer any evil for Christ’s sake. I count not Paul so
happy, because he was “caught up into Paradise,”
(2
Cor. xii. 4.) as because he was cast into the dungeon; I count him not
so happy, because he heard “unspeakable words,” as because
he endured those bonds. I count him not so happy, because he was
“caught up into the third Heaven,” (2 Cor. xii. 2.) as I count him
happy for those bonds’ sake. For that these are greater than
those, hear how even he himself knew this; for he saith not, I who
“heard unspeakable words,” beseech you: but what? “I,
the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you.” Nor yet are we to wonder,
though he inscribes not this in all his Epistles, for he was not always
in prison, but only at certain times.

I deem it more desirable to
suffer evil for Christ’s sake, than to receive honor at
Christ’s hands. This is transcendent honor, this is glory that
surpasseth all things. If He Himself who became a servant for my sake,
and “emptied” (Philip. ii. 7.) His glory, yet
thought not Himself so truly in glory, as when He was crucified for my
sake, what ought not I to endure? For hear His own words:
“Father, glorify Thou Me.” (John xvii. 1.) What is this
thou art saying? Thou art being led to the cross with thieves and
plunderers of graves, thou endurest the death of the accursed; Thou art
about to be spit upon and buffeted; and callest Thou this glory?260260 [Christ referred to the glorification with His Father which was to
follow his humiliation. Cf. John xvii. 5. Philip. ii.
9.—G.A.] Yes, He saith, for I suffer these things for
My beloved ones, and I count them altogether glory. If He who loved the
miserable and wretched calleth this glory, not to be on His
Father’s throne, nor in His Father’s glory, but in
dishonor,—if this was His glory, and if this He set before the
other: much more ought I to regard these things as glory. Oh! those
blessed bonds! Oh! those blessed hands which that chain adorned! Not so
worthy were Paul’s hands when they lifted up and raised the lame
man at Lystra, as when they were bound around with those chains. Had I
been living in those times, how eagerly would I have embraced them, and
put them to the very apple of mine eyes. Never would I have ceased
kissing those hands which were counted worthy to be bound for my Lord.
Marvellest thou at Paul, when the viper fastened on his hand, and did
him no hurt? Marvel not. It reverenced his chain. Yea, and the whole
sea reverenced it; for then too 86was he bound, when he was
saved from shipwreck. Were any one to grant me power to raise the dead
at this moment, I would not choose that power, but this chain. Were I
free from the cares of the Church, had I my body strong and vigorous, I
would not shrink from undertaking so long a journey, only for the sake
of beholding those chains, for the sake of seeing the prison where he
was bound. The traces indeed of his miracles are numerous in all parts
of the world, yet are they not so dear as those of his scars.
(Gal.
vi. 17.) Nor in the Scriptures does he so delight me when he is working
miracles, as when he is suffering evil, being scourged, and dragged
about. Insomuch that from his body were carried away handkerchiefs or
aprons. Marvellous, truly marvellous, are these things, and yet not so
marvellous as those. “When they had laid many stripes upon him,
they cast him into prison.” (Acts xvi. 23.) And again;
being in bonds, “they were singing hymns unto God.”
(Acts
xvi. 25.) And again; “They stoned him, and dragged him out of the
city, supposing that he was dead.” (Acts xiv. 19.) Would ye know
how mighty a thing is an iron chain for Christ’s sake, bound
about His servant’s body? Hearken to what Christ Himself saith,
“Blessed are ye.” (Mat. v. 11.) Why? When ye
shall raise the dead? No. But why? When ye shall heal the blind? Not at
all. But why then? “When men shall reproach you, and persecute
you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake.”
(Matt.
v. 11.) Now, if to be evil spoken of renders men thus blessed, to be
evil entreated, what may not that achieve? Hearken to what this blessed
one himself saith elsewhere; “Henceforth there is laid up for me
the crown of righteousness:” (2 Tim. iv. 8.) and yet, more
glorious than this crown is the chain: of this, saith he, the Lord will
count me worthy, and I am in no wise inquisitive about those things.
Enough it is for me for every recompense, to suffer evil for
Christ’s sake. Let Him but grant me to say, that “I fill up
that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ:”
(Col.
i. 24.) and I ask nothing further.

Peter also was counted worthy of
this chain; for he, we read, was bound, and delivered to soldiers, and
was sleeping. (Acts xii. 6.) Yet he rejoiced and
was not diverted from his right mind and he fell into deep sleep which
could not have been, had he been in any great anxiety. However, he was
sleeping, being between two soldiers: and an Angel came unto him, and
smote him on the side, and raised him up. Now then, were any one to say
to me, Which wouldest thou? Wouldest thou be the Angel that struck
Peter, or Peter that was delivered? I would rather choose to be Peter,
for whose sake even the Angel came, yea, I would that I might enjoy
those chains. And how is it, say ye, that, as being released from great
evils, he prays? Marvel not: he prays, because he is afraid lest he
should die; and of dying he is afraid, because he would fain have his
life to be still a subject for further sufferings. For hearken to what
the blessed Paul himself also saith. (Philip. i. 23,
24.)
“To depart, and to be with Christ, is very far better;”
“Yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for your sake.”
This he calls even a favor where he writes, and says, “To you it
hath been granted, (as a favor ἕχαρίσθη) in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to
suffer in His behalf.” (Philip. i. 29.) So that this
latter is greater than the other: for He gave it of His free grace;
verily, a favor it is, exceeding great, yea greater than any one of
those, greater than to make the sun and the moon stand still, than to
move the world! greater this than to have power over devils, or to cast
out devils. The devils grieve not so much at being cast out by the
faith which we exert, as when they behold us suffering any evil, and
imprisoned for Christ’s sake. For this increases our boldness.
Not for this is it a noble thing to be in bonds for Christ’s sake
that it procures for us a kingdom; it is that it is done for
Christ’s sake. Not for this do I bless those bonds, for that they
conduct on to Heaven; it is because they are worn for the sake of the
Lord of Heaven. How great a boast to know that he was bound for
Christ’s sake! How great a happiness, how high an honor, how
illustrious a distinction! Fain would I ever be dwelling on these
subjects. Fain would I cling to this chain. Fain would I, though in
reality I have not the power, yet still in idea, bind this chain round
my soul by a temper like his.

“The foundations of the
prison-house,” we read, “were shaken” where Paul was
bound, “and every one’s bands were loosed.”
(Acts
xvi. 26.) Beholdest thou then in bonds a nature that can dissolve bonds
themselves? for as the Lord’s death put death itself to death, so
also did Paul’s bonds loose the men in bonds, shake the house of
bondage, open the doors. Yet is not this the natural effect of bonds,
but the very reverse; it is to keep him that is bound in safety, not to
open for him the prison walls. No, of bonds then in general this is not
the nature, but of those bonds which are for Christ’s sake, it
is. “The jailor fell down before Paul and Silas.”
(Acts
xvi. 29.) And yet neither is this again the effect of chains in general,
to lay the binders at the feet of the bound: no, but, on the contrary,
to put these last under the hands of the former. Whereas here, the man
who was free was under the feet of the man who 87had been bound. The binder was
beseeching him whom he had bound to release him from his fear. Tell me,
was it not thou that didst bind him? Didst thou not cast him into the
inner prison? Didst thou not make his feet fast in the stocks? Why
tremblest thou? Why art thou troubled? Why weepest thou? Why hast thou
drawn thy sword? Never bound I, saith he, aught like this! I knew not
that the prisoners of Christ had power so mighty as this. What sayest
thou? They received power to open Heaven, and should they not be able
to open a prison? They loosed them that were bound by evil spirits, and
was a piece of iron likely to conquer them? Thou knowest not the men.
And therefore also wert thou pardoned. That prisoner is Paul, whom all
the Angels reverence. He is Paul, whose very handkerchiefs and napkins
cast out devils, and chase diseases to flight. And sure the bond which
is of the devil is adamantine, and far more indissoluble than iron; for
this indeed binds the soul, the other only the body. He therefore that
released souls that were bound, shall not he have power to release his
own body? He that could burst asunder the bonds of evil spirits, shall
he not unloose a rivet of iron? He that by his very garments unloosed
those prisoners, and released them from the spell of devils, shall not
he of himself set himself at liberty? For this was he first bound
himself, and then loosed the prisoners, that thou mightest understand
that Christ’s servants in bonds possess a power far greater than
they that are at liberty. Had one who was at liberty wrought this, then
had it not been so marvellous. So then the chain was not a token of
weakness, but rather of a greater power, and thus is the saint’s
might more illustriously displayed, when, even though in bonds, he
overpowers them that are at liberty, when he that is in bonds sets not
only himself at liberty, but them that are in bonds also. Where is the
use of walls? What the advantage of thrusting him into the inner
prison, whereas he opened the outer also? and why too was it done in
the night? and why with an earthquake?

Oh, bear with me a little, and
give me leave while I refrain from the Apostle’s words, and revel
in the Apostle’s deeds, and banquet on Paul’s chain; grant
me still longer to dwell upon it. I have laid hold on that chain, and
no one shall part me from it. More securely at this moment am I bound
by affection, than was he then in the stocks. This is a bond which no
one can loose, for it is formed of the love of Christ; this neither the
Angels, no, nor the kingdom of Heaven, has power to unloose. We may
hear Paul’s own words; (Rom. viii. 38,
39.)
“Neither angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord.”

Now then, why did the event take
place at midnight? And wherefore too with an earthquake? Hearken, and
marvel at the providential orderings of God. Every one’s bands
were loosed, and the doors were opened. And yet was this done only for
the jailor’s sake, not with a view to display, but with a view to
his salvation: for that the prisoners knew not that they were loosed,
is evident from Paul’s exclamation; for what said he? “He
cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all
here.” (Acts xvi. 28.) But never would they
all have been within, had they seen the doors opened, and themselves
set at liberty. They who were used to cut through walls, and to scale
roofs and parapets, and to venture on all sorts of attempts in chains,
never would have endured to remain within, with their bands loosed, and
the doors opened, with the jailer himself asleep; no, but the bond of
sleep was to them instead of the bonds of iron. So that the thing took
place and yet no damage ensued from the miracle to the jailer who was
to be saved. And besides this too, they that are bound are bound most
securely in the night, not in the day; and so accordingly might we
behold them bound again with all care and sleeping: but had these
things been done in the day time, there would have been great stir and
tumult.

Then again, wherefore was the
building shaken? It was to arouse the jailer, to behold what was done,
for he alone was worthy of being saved. And do thou too, behold, I
pray, the exceeding greatness of the grace of Christ, for well were it
in the midst of Paul’s bonds to make mention also of the grace of
God, nay indeed the very bonds themselves are of the gift and grace of
God. Some indeed there are who complain “Why was the jailer
saved?” and from those very circumstances, for which they ought
to admire the loving-kindness of God they find fault with it. Nor is it
anything to be wondered at. Such are those sickly persons, that find
fault even with the food that nourishes them, which they ought to
prize, and who affirm that honey is bitter: and those dimsighted
persons who are darkened by the very thing which ought to enlighten
them. Not that these effects arise from the nature of the objects
themselves, but from the weakness of the persons who are unable to use
them properly. What, however, was I saying? When they ought to be
admiring God’s loving-kindness, in that He took a man who had
fallen into the most desperate wickedness, and was making him better,
they find fault: “Why, how was it that he did not take
88the thing to be
the work of witchcraft and of sorcery, and confine them the more
closely, and cry out?” Many things conspired to prevent this;
first, that he heard them singing praises to God. And sorcerers never
would have been singing such hymns as those, for he heard them, it is
said, singing praises unto God. Secondly, the fact, that they
themselves did not take flight, but even withheld him from killing
himself. Now had they done it for their own sake, they never would have
remained still within; they would themselves have escaped first of all.
Great again was their kindness also; they withheld the man from killing
himself, even him who had bound them, thus all but saying unto him,
“Truly, thou didst bind us with all safety, and most cruelly,
that thou thyself mightest be loosed from the most cruel of all
bonds.” For every one is shackled with the chains of his own
sins; and those bonds are accursed, whereas these for Christ’s
sake are blessed, and worth many an earnest prayer. For that these
bonds can loose those other bonds of sin, he showed to us by things
which are matters of sense. Didst thou behold them released, who had
been bound with iron? Thou shalt see thyself also delivered from other
galling bonds. These bonds, the prisoners’ bonds, not those of
Paul, I mean, are the effect of those other bonds, the bonds of sins.
They who were confined within, were doubly prisoners, and the jailer
himself was a prisoner. They indeed were bound both with iron and with
sins, he with sins only. Them did Paul loose to assure the faith of
him, for the chains which he loosed were visible. And thus too did
Christ Himself; but rather in the inverse order. In that instance,
there was a double palsy. What was it? There was that of the soul by
sins, and also that of the body. What then did the Lord do?
“Son,” saith He, “be of good cheer, thy sins are
forgiven.” (Matt. ix. 3–6.) He first loosed the
bonds of the real and true palsy, and then proceeds to the other: for
when “certain of the Scribes said within themselves, This man
blasphemeth; Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Wherefore think ye
evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are
forgiven, or to say, Arise, and walk? But, that ye may know that the
Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the
sick of the palsy,) Arise, and take up thy bed, and go unto thy
house.” Having wrought the invisible miracle, He confirmed it by
the visible, the spiritual by the bodily cure. And why did He do thus?
That it might be fulfilled, which is spoken, (Luke xix. 22.) “Out of
thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant.” For what
said they? “None can forgive sins, but God alone.” Of
course, therefore, no Angel, nor Archangel, nor any other created
power. This ye have yourselves confessed. And what then ought to be
said? If I shall be shown to have forgiven sins, it is fully evident
that I am God. However, He said it not thus, but what said He?
“But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to
forgive sins; then saith He to the sick of the palsy, Arise, and take
up thy bed, and go unto thy house.” (Matt. ix. 6.) When therefore,
He would say, I work the more difficult miracle, it is plain that there
is no pretext left you, no room for gainsaying about the easier one.261261 [“The one requires no less power than the other, the same
divine ἐξουσία enables both to be done. But that ye may know that I was entitled
to say the one, I will prove to you that I have the power to say the
other.”—Meyer. Since neither is easier but each alike
requires divine power, if I can prove to you that I have this divine
power to do one, that will prove to you that I have power to do the
other.—G.A.] Hence it was that He wrought the invisible
miracle first, because there were many gainsayers; and then He led them
from the invisible to the visible itself.

Surely then the faith of the
jailer was no light or hasty faith. He saw the prisoners. And he saw
nothing, he heard nothing wrong; he saw that nothing was done by
sorcery, for they were singing hymns unto God. He saw that every thing
done proceeded from overflowing kindness, for they did not avenge
themselves against him, although they had it in their power; for it was
in their power to rescue both themselves and the prisoners, and escape;
and if not the prisoners, at all events themselves; but they did not do
this. Thus did they challenge his reverence, not only by the miracle,
but also by their behavior. For how did Paul cry out? “He cried
with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all
here.” Thou seest at once his freedom from vain-glory and
arrogance, and his fellow-feeling. He said not, “It is for us
these wonders have been wrought,” but as though he were merely
one of the prisoners, he said, “For we are all here.” And
yet, even though they had not before this loosed themselves, nor had
done so by means of the miracle, still they might have been silent, and
have set all that were bound at liberty. For had they held their peace,
and had they not with their loud crying stayed his hand, he would have
thrust the sword through his throat. Wherefore also Paul cried out,
because he had been cast into the inner ward: as though he had said,
“To thine own injury hast thou done this, that thou hast thrust
in so far those that could deliver thee from the danger.” However
they imitated not the treatment they had received at his hands; though,
had he died, all would have escaped. Thou seest that they chose rather
to remain in bonds, than to suffer him to perish. Hence too might he
reason within himself, “Had they been sorcerers, doubtless
89they would have
set the others at liberty, and have released themselves from their
bonds:” (for it is likely that many such had also been
imprisoned.) He was the more amazed, in that having often received
sorcerers in charge, he had yet witnessed nothing done like this. A
sorcerer never would have shaken the foundations, so as to startle the
jailer from sleep, and thus render his own escape more
difficult.

Now, however, let us proceed to
look at the jailor’s faith. “And,” saith the
Scripture, “he called for lights and sprang in, and trembling for
fear fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said,
Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” He grasped fire and sword, and
cried, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” “And they
said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, thou
and thy house.” (Acts xvi.
29–31.) “This is not the act of sorcerers,” he would
say, “to deliver a doctrine like this. No mention any where here
of an evil spirit.” Thou seest how worthy he was to be saved: for
when he beheld the miracle, and was relieved from his terror, he did
not forget what most concerned him, but even in the midst of so great
peril, he was solicitous about that salvation which concerned his soul:
and came before them in such a manner as it was meet to come before
teachers: he fell down at their feet. “And they spake,” it
continues, “the word of the Lord, unto him with all that were in
his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed
their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately.”
(Acts
xvi. 32, 33.) Observe the fervency of the man! He did not delay; he did
not say, “Let day come, let us see, let us look about us;”
but with great fervency, he was both himself baptized, and all his
house. Yes, not like most men now-a-days, who suffer both servants and
wives and children to go unbaptized.262262 ἀμυήτους. Be ye, I
beseech you, like the jailor. I say not, in authority, but in purpose;
for what is the benefit of authority, where purpose is weak? The savage
one, the inhuman one, who lived in the practice of unnumbered wrongs
and made this his constant study, has become all at once so humane, so
tenderly attentive. “He washed,” it is said, “their
stripes.”

And mark, on the other hand, the
fervency of Paul also. Bound, scourged, thus he preached the Gospel.
Oh, that blessed chain, with how great travail did it travail that
night, what children did it bring forth! Yea of them too may he say,
“Whom I have begotten in my bonds.” (Philem. x.) Mark thou, how
he glories, and will have the children thus begotten, to be on that
account the more illustrious! Mark thou, how transcendant is the glory
of those bonds, in that they give lustre not only to him that wore
them, but also to them who were on that occasion begotten by him. They
have some advantage, who were begotten in Paul’s bonds, I say not
in respect of grace, (for grace is one and the same,) nor in respect of
remission, (for remission is one and the same to all,) but in that they
are thus from the very outset taught to rejoice and to glory in such
things. “The same hour of the night,” it is said, “he
took them, and washed their stripes, and was
baptized.”

And now then behold the fruit.
He straightway recompensed them with his carnal things. “He
brought them up into his house, and set meat before them, and rejoiced
greatly with all his house, having believed in God.” For what was
he not ready to do, now that by the opening of the prison doors, heaven
itself was opened to him? He washed his teacher, he set food before
him, and rejoiced. Paul’s chain entered into the prison, and
transformed all things there into a Church; it drew in its train the
body of Christ, it prepared the spiritual feast, and travailed with
that birth, at which Angels rejoice. And was it without reason then
that I said that the prison was more glorious than Heaven? For it
became a source of joy there; yes, if “there is joy in Heaven
over one sinner that repenteth,” (Luke xv. 7.) if,
“where two or three are gathered together in His Name, there is
Christ in the midst of them;” (Matt. xviii.
20.)
how much more, where Paul and Silas, and the jailor and all his house
were, and faith so earnest as theirs! Observe the intense earnestness
of their faith.

But this prison has reminded me
of another prison. And what then is that? It is that where Peter was.
Not, however, that any thing like this took place there. No. He was
delivered to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him and he sang not,
he watched not, but he slept; neither, again, had he been scourged. And
yet was the peril greater, for in the case before us indeed the end was
accomplished, and the prisoners Paul and Silas, had undergone their
punishment; but in his case it was yet to come. So that though there
were no stripes to torture him, yet was there the anticipation of the
future to distress him. And mark too the miracle there. “Behold,
an angel of the Lord,” it is related, “stood by him, and a
light shined in the cell; and he smote Peter on the side, and awoke
him, saying, Rise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his
hands.” (Acts xii. 7.) In order that he
might not imagine the transaction to be the work of the light alone, he
also struck Peter. Now no one saw the light, save himself only, and he
thought it was a vision. So insensible are they that are asleep to the
mercies 90of
God. “And the angel,” it proceeds, “said unto him,
Gird thyself and bind on thy sandals; and he did so. And he saith unto
him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out and
followed, and he wist not that it was true which was done by the angel;
but thought he saw a vision. And when they were past the first and the
second ward, they came unto the iron gate, that leadeth unto the city,
which opened to them of his own accord; and they went out, and passed
on through one street; and straightway the angel departed from
him.” (Acts xii. 8–10.) Why was not the same
thing done here as was done in the case of Paul and Silas? Because in
that case they were intending to release them. On that account God
willed not that they should be released in this manner. Whereas in
blessed Peter’s case, they were intending to lead him forth to
execution. But what then? Would it not have been far more marvellous,
some one may say, had he been led forth, and delivered over into the
king’s hands, and then had been snatched away from the very midst
of his imminent peril, and sustained no harm? For thus moreover,
neither had the soldiers perished. Great is the question which has been
raised upon this matter. What! did God, it is said, save His own
servant with the punishment of others, with the destruction of others?
Now in the first place, it was not with the destruction of others; for
this did not arise from the ordering of providence, but arose from the
cruelty of the judge. How so? God had so providentially ordered it, as
that not only these men need not perish, but moreover that even he, the
judge, should have been saved, just as in this case of the jailor. But
he did not use the boon aright. “Now as soon as it was
day,” it continues, “there was no small stir among the
soldiers, what was become of Peter.” And what then? Herod makes
strict inquiry into the matter, “and he examined the
guards,” it is related, “and commanded that they should be
put to death.” (Acts xii.
18–19.) Now, indeed, had he not examined them, there might have
been some excuse for executing them. Whereas, as it is, he had them
brought before him, he examined them, he found that Peter had been
bound, that the prison had been well secured, that the keepers were
before the doors. No wall had been broken through, no door had been
opened, nor was there any other evidence whatever of false dealing. He
ought upon this to have been awed by the power of God, which had
snatched Peter from the very midst of perils, and to have adored Him
who was able to do such mighty works. But, on the contrary, he ordered
those men off to execution. How then in this case is God the cause? Had
He indeed caused the wall to be broken through, and thus had extricated
Peter, possibly the deed might have been put to the account of their
negligence. But if He so providentially ordered it, as that the matter
should be shown to be the work not of the evil agency of man, but of
the miraculous agency of God, why did Herod act thus? For had Peter
intended to flee, he would have fled as he was, with his chains on. Had
he intended to fly, in his confusion he never would have had so great
forethought as to take even his sandals, but he would have left them.
Whereas, as it is, the object of the Angel’s saying unto him,
“Bind on thy sandals,” was that they might know that he had
done the thing not in the act of flight, but with full leisure. For,
bound as he was, and fixed between the two soldiers, he never would
have found sufficient time to unbind the chains also, and especially as
he too, like Paul, was in the inner ward. Thus then was the punishment
of the keepers owing to the unrighteousness of the judge. For why did
not the Jews263263 [The Jews, when they imprisoned the Apostles as recorded in
Acts v.
19.—G.A.] act in the same way? For now again
I am reminded of yet another prison. The first was that at Rome, next,
was this at Cæsarea, now we come to that at Jerusalem.264264 [The
prison which suggested this discourse (Eph. iv. 1.) was that of
Paul in Rome, but the next one mentioned and discoursed of by St.
Chrysostom was the one in which Paul was at Philippi, Acts
xvi.,
the next one was the prison where Peter was at Jerusalem, and this last
one (Acts v. 19.) at Jerusalem also. No mention has been made of any
imprisonment at Cæsarea.—G.A.] When then the chief Priests and the
Pharisees heard from those whom they had sent to the prison to bring
Peter out, that “they found no man within,” but both doors
“closed,” and “the keepers standing at the
doors,” why was it that they not only did not put the keepers to
death, but, so far from it, “they were much perplexed concerning
them whereunto this would grow.” Now if the Jews, murderous as
they were in their designs against them, yet entertained not a thought
of the kind, much more shouldest not thou, who didst every thing to
please those Jews. For this unrighteous sentence vengeance quickly
overtook Herod.

But now if any complain of this,
then complain too about those who are killed on the highway, and about
the ten thousand others who are unjustly put to death, and further, of
the infants also that were slaughtered at the time of Christ’s
birth; for Christ also, according to what thou allegest, was the cause
of their deaths. But it was not Christ, but rather the madness and
tyranny of Herod’s father. Dost thou ask, Why then did He not
snatch Him out of Herod’s hands? True, He might have done so, but
there would have been nothing gained by so doing. How many times, at
least, did Christ escape even from the grasp of their hands?
91And yet what good
did this do to that unfeeling people? Whereas here there is even much
profit arising to the faithful from what was done. For as there were
records made, and the enemies themselves bore testimony to the facts,
the testimony was above suspicion. As therefore in that instance the
mouths of the enemies were stopped in no other way whatever, but only
by the persons who came acknowledging the facts, so was it also here.
For why did the jailor here do nothing like what Herod did? Nay, and
the things which Herod witnessed were not at all less wonderful than
those which this man witnessed. So far as wonder goes, it is no less
wonderful to be assured that a prisoner came out when the doors were
closed, than it is to behold them set open. Indeed this last might
rather have seemed to be perhaps a vision of the imagination, the other
never could, when exactly and circumstantially reported. So that, had
this man been as wicked as Herod, he would have slain Paul, as Herod
did the soldiers; but such he was not.

If any one should ask,
‘Why was it that God permitted the children also to be
murdered?’ I should fall, probably, into a longer discourse, than
was originally intended to be addressed to you.

At this point, however, let us
terminate our discourse, with many thanks to Paul’s chain, for
that it has been made to us the source of so many blessings, and
exhorting you, should ye have to suffer any thing for Christ’s
sake, not only not to repine, but to rejoice, as the Apostles did, yea,
and to glory; as Paul said, “Most gladly, therefore will I rather
glory in my infirmities,” (2 Cor. xii. 9.) for because of
this it was that he heard also those words, “My grace is
sufficient for thee.” Paul glories in bonds; and dost thou pride
thyself in riches? The Apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy
to be scourged, and dost thou seek for ease and self-indulgence? On
what ground then, dost thou wish to attain the same end as they, if
here on earth thou art traveling the contrary road from them?
“And now,” saith Paul, “I go bound in the spirit unto
Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there; save that
the Holy Ghost testifieth unto me in every city, saying, that bonds and
afflictions abide me.” (Acts xx. 22.) And why then
dost thou set out, if bonds and afflictions abide thee? For this very
reason, saith he, that I may be bound for Christ’s sake, that I
may die for His sake. “For I am ready not to be bound only, but
also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts xxi. 13.)

Moral. Nothing can be more blessed than that soul. In what does he glory?
In bonds, in afflictions, in chains, in scars; “I bear branded on
my body,” saith he, “the marks of Jesus,”
(Gal.
vi. 17.) as though they were some great trophy. And again, “For
because of the hope of Israel,” saith he, “I am bound with
this chain.” (Acts xxviii.
20.)
And again, “For which I am an ambassador in chains.”
(Eph.
vi. 20.) What is this? Art thou not ashamed, art thou not afraid going
about the world as a prisoner? Dost thou not fear lest any one should
charge thy God with weakness? lest any one should on this account
refuse to come near thee and to join the fold? No, saith he, not such
are my bonds. They can shine brightly even in kings’ palaces.
“So that my bonds,” saith he, “became manifest in
Christ, throughout the whole prætorian guard: and most of the
brethren in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more
abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.”
(Philip. i. 13, 14.) Behold ye a force in
bonds stronger than the raising of the dead. They beheld me bound, and
they are the more courageous. For where bonds are, there of necessity
is something great also. Where affliction is, there verily is salvation
also, there verily is solace, there verily are great achievements. For
when the devil kicks, then is he, doubtless, hit.265265 [This
reminds one of the saying of an eccentric evangelist in America who
refering to those that abused and persecuted him for the severity of
his preaching said, “It’s always the hit dog that
yelps.”—G.A.] When he binds God’s servants, then
most of all does the word gain ground. And mark how this is every where
the case. Paul was imprisoned; and in the prison he did these things,
yea, saith he, by my very bonds themselves. He was imprisoned at Rome,
and brought the more converts to the faith; for not only was he himself
emboldened, but many others also because of him. He was imprisoned at
Jerusalem, and preaching in his bonds he struck the king with
amazement, (Acts xxvi. 28.) and made the governor
tremble. (Acts xxiv. 25.) For being afraid, it
is related, he let him go, and he that had bound him was not ashamed to
receive instruction concerning the things to come at the hands of him
whom he had bound. In bonds he sailed, and retrieved the wreck, and
bound fast the tempest. It was when he was in bonds that the monster
fastened on him, and fell off from his hand, having done him no hurt.
He was bound at Rome, and preaching in bonds drew thousands to his
cause, holding forward, in the place of every other, this very
argument, I mean his chain.

It is not however our lot to be
bound now-a-days. And yet there is another chain if we have a mind to
wear it. And what is it? It is to restrain our hand, to be not so
forward to covetousness. With this chain let us bind ourselves. Let the
fear of God be unto us instead of a bond of iron. Let us loose them
that are bound by poverty, by affliction. There is no 92comparison between
opening the doors of a prison, and releasing an enthralled soul. There
is no comparison between loosing the bonds of prisoners and
“setting at liberty them that are bruised;” (Luke iv.
18.)
this last is far greater than the other; for the other there is no
reward in store, for this last there are ten thousand
rewards.

Paul’s chain has proved a
long one, and has detained us a length of time. Yea, long indeed it is,
and more beautiful than any cord of gold. A chain this, which draws
them that are bound by it, as it were by a kind of invisible machinery,
to Heaven, and, like a golden cord let down,266266 [This passage reminds one of the famous golden chain of
Homer, σειρὴν
χρυσείην, (Iliad viii. 19–27) to which several allegorical meanings
have been given.—G.A.]
draws them up to the Heaven of heavens. And the wonderful thing is
this, that, bound, as it is, below, it draws its captives upwards: and
indeed this is not the nature of the things themselves. But where God
orders and disposes, look not for the nature of things, nor for natural
sentence, but for things above nature and natural sequence.

Let us learn not to sink under
affliction, nor to repine; for look at this blessed saint. He had been
scourged, and sorely scourged, for it is said, “When they had
laid many stripes upon them.” He had been bound too, and that
again sorely, for the jailor cast him into the inner ward, and with
extraordinary security. And though he was in so many perils, at
midnight, when even the most wakeful are asleep with sleep, another and
a stronger bond upon them, they chanted and sang praise unto the Lord.
What can be more adamantine than these souls? They bethought them how
that the holy Children sang even in fire and furnace. (Dan. iii.
1–30.) Perhaps they thus reasoned with themselves, “we have as
yet suffered nothing like that.”

But our discourse has done well,
in that it has thus brought us out again to other bonds, and into
another prison. What am I to do? I would fain be silent, but am not
able. I have discovered another prison, far more wonderful and more
astonishing than the former. But, come now, rouse yourselves, as though
I were just commencing my discourse, and attend to me with your minds
fresh. I would fain break off the discourse, but it will not suffer me;
for just as a man in the midst of drinking cannot bear to break off his
draught, whatever any one may promise him; so I too, now I have laid
hold of this glorious cup of the prison of them that were bound for
Christ’s sake, I cannot leave off, I cannot hold my peace. For if
Paul in the prison, and in the night, kept not silence, no, nor under
the scourge; shall I, who am sitting267267 [The ancient custom was the reverse of ours, for the preacher
commonly delivered his sermon sitting, and the people heard it
standing.—Bingham Antiquities Bk. xiv. Ch. iv. Sec.
24.—G.A.] here by
daylight, and speaking so much at my ease, shall I hold my peace, when
men in bonds, and under the scourge, and at midnight could not endure
to do so? The holy Children were not silent, no, not in the furnace and
in the fire, and are not we ashamed to hold our peace? Let us look then
at this prison also. Here too, they were bound, but at once and from
the very outset it was evident that they were not about to be burned,
but only to enter as into a prison. For why do ye bind men who are
about to be committed to the flames? They were bound, as Paul was, hand
and foot. They were bound with as great violence as he was. For the
jailor thrust him into the inner prison; and the king commanded the
furnace to be intensely heated. And now let us see the issue. When Paul
and Silas sang, the prison was shaken, and the doors were opened. When
the three Children sang, the bonds both of their feet and hands were
loosed. The prison was opened, and the doors of the furnace were
opened: for a dewy breeze whistled through it.

But many thoughts crowd around
me. I know not which to utter first, and which second. Wherefore, let
no one, I entreat, require order of me, for the subjects are closely
allied.

They who were bound together
with Paul and Silas were loosed, and yet nevertheless they slept. In
the case of the three Children, instead of that, something else took
place. The men who had cast them in, were themselves burned to death.
And then, as I was fain to tell you, the king beheld them loose, and
fell down before them: he heard them singing their song of praise, and
beheld four walking, and he called them. As Paul, though able to do so,
came not forth, until he who had cast him in, called him, and brought
him forth: so neither did the three Children come forth, until he who
had cast them in commanded them to come forth. What lesson are we
taught from this? Not to be over hasty in courting persecution, nor
when in tribulation to be over eager for deliverance, and on the other
hand when they release us not to continue in it. Further, the jailor,
inasmuch as he was able to enter in where the saints were, fell down at
their feet. The king came but to the door and fell down. He dared not
approach into the prison which he had prepared for them in the fire.
And now mark their words. The one cried, “Sirs, what must I do to
be saved?” (Acts xvi. 30.) The other, though not
indeed with so great humility, yet uttered a voice no less sweet,
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high
God, come forth, and come hither.” (Dan. iii. 26.) 93Mighty dignity!
“Ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come
hither.” How are they to come forth, O king? Thou didst cast them
into the fire bound; they have continued this long time in the fire.
Why, had they been made of adamant, had they been blocks of metal, in
singing that entire hymn, must they not have perished? On this account
then they were saved, because they sang praises to God. The fire
reverenced their readiness to suffer and afterwards it reverenced that
wonderful song, and their hymns of praise. By what title dost thou call
them? I said before, “Ye servants of the most high God.”
Yes, to the servants of God, all things are possible; for if some, who
are the servants of men, have, nevertheless, power, and authority, and
the disposal of their concerns, much more have the servants of God. He
called them by the name most delightful to them, he knew that by this
means he flattered them most: for indeed, if it was in order to
continue servants of God, that they entered into the fire, there could
be no sound more delightful to them than this. Had he called them
kings, had he called them lords of the world, yet would he not so truly
have rejoiced them as when he said, “Ye servants of the most high
God.” And why marvel at this? when, in writing to the mighty
city, to her who was mistress of the world, and prided herself upon her
high dignities, Paul set down as equivalent in dignity, nay, as far
greater, yea incomparably greater than consulship, or kingly name, or
than the empire of the world, this title, “Paul, a servant268268 [The word in the Greek δοῦλος which means a bond-slave, though softened in the Auth. Ver. to
“servant” and in the Rev. Ver. to
“bond-servant.”—G.A.] of Jesus Christ.” (Rom. i.
1.)
“Ye servants of the most high God.” “Yes,” he
would say, “if they show so great zeal as to be bond-servants,
doubtless this is the title by which we shall conciliate
them.”

Again, observe also the piety of
the Children: they showed no indignation, no anger, no gain-saying, but
they came forth. Had they regarded it as an act of vengeance that they
had been thrown into the furnace, they would have been grieved against
the man who had cast them in; as it is, there is nothing of the kind;
but, as though they were going forth from Heaven itself, so went they
forth. And what the Prophet says of the Sun, that “He is as a
bridegroom coming forth out of his chamber,” (Ps. xix. 5.) one would not
go amiss in saying also of them. But though he goes forth thus, yet
came they forth there more gloriously than he, for he indeed comes
forth to enlighten the world with natural light, they to enlighten the
world in a different way, I mean, spiritually. For because of them the
king straightway issued a decree, containing these words, “It
hath seemed good unto me to show the signs and wonders that the Most
High God hath wrought toward me. How great are His signs! And how
mighty are His wonders!” (Dan. iv. 2, 3.) So that they
went forth, shedding a yet more glorious radiance, beaming indeed in
that region itself, but, what is more than all, capable, by means of
the king’s writings, of being diffused over the world and thus of
dispelling the darkness which every where prevails. “Come
forth,” said he, “and come hither.” He gave no
commandment269269 [Field’s text has here ἐτὸλμησε, ‘he did not venture;’ but that gives a sense less
satisfactory than the text of Savile and the Oxford translator,
ἐκέλευσε, which is well attested.—G.A.] to extinguish the flame, but hereby
most especially honored them, by believing that they were able not only
to walk within it, but even to come out of it while it was still
burning.

But let us look again, if it
seem good to you, at the words of the jailor, “Sirs, what must I
do to be saved?” What language sweeter than this? This makes the
very Angels leap for joy. To hear this language, even the Only-begotten
Son of God Himself became a servant. This language they who believed at
the beginning addressed to Peter. (Acts ii. 37.) “What
shall we do?” And what said he in answer? “Repent and be
baptized.” To have heard this language from the Jews, gladly
would Paul have been cast even in to hell, in his eagerness for their
salvation and obedience. But observe, he commits the whole matter to
them, he wastes no unnecessary pains. Let us however look at the next
point. The king here does not say, What must I do to be saved? but the
teaching is plainer in his case than any language whatever; for he
straightway becomes a preacher, he needs not to be instructed like the
jailor. He proclaims God, and makes confession of His power. “Of
a truth your God is the God of Gods and the Lord of Kings, because He
hath sent His Angel, and hath delivered you.” (Dan. ii. 47; iii.
28.)
And what was the sequel? Not one single jailor, but numbers are
instructed by the king’s writings, by the sight of the facts. For
that the king would not have told a falsehood is evident enough to
every one, because he never would have chosen to bear such testimony to
captives, nor to overthrow his own acts; he never would have chosen to
incur the imputation of such utter madness: so that had not the truth
been abundantly manifest, he would not have written in such terms, and
with so many persons present.

Perceive ye how great is the
power of bonds? How great the force of those praises that are sung in
tribulation? Their heart failed not, they were not cast down, but were
then yet more vigorous, and their courage then yet greater and justly
so.

While we are considering these
things one 94question yet remains for us: Why was it that in the prison on the
one hand, the prisoners were loosed, whilst in the furnace the
executioners were burnt to death: for that indeed should have been the
king’s fate, because neither were they who bound them, nor they
who cast them into the furnace, guilty of so great sin as the man who
commanded this should be done. Why then did they perish? On this point
there is not any very great need of minute examination; for they were
wicked men. And therefore this was providentially ordered, that the
power of the fire might be shown, and the miracle might be made more
signal; for if it thus devoured them that were without, how did it show
them unscathed that were within it? it was that the power of God might
be made manifest. And let no one wonder that I have put the king on a
level with the jailor, for he did the same thing; the one was in no
wise more noble than the other, and they both had their
reward.

But, as I said, the righteous,
when they are in tribulations, are then especially more energetic, and
when they are in bonds: for to suffer any thing for Christ’s sake
is the sweetest of all consolation.

Will ye that I remind you of yet
another prison? It seems necessary to go on from this chain to another
prison still. And which will ye? Shall it be that of Jeremiah, or of
Joseph, or of John? Thanks to Paul’s chain; how many prisons has
it opened to our discourse? Will ye have that of John? He also was once
bound for Christ’s sake, and for the law of God. What then? Was
he idle when he was in prison? Was it not from thence he sent, by his
disciples, and said, “Art Thou He that cometh, or look we for
another?” (Matt. xi. 2, 3.) Even when there,
then, it seems he taught, for surely he did not disregard his duty. But
again, did not Jeremiah prophesy concerning the king of Babylon, and
fulfil his work even there in prison? And what of Joseph? Was he not in
prison thirteen years? What then? Not even there did he forget his
virtue. I have yet to mention the bonds of one and therewith will close
my discourse. Our Master Himself was bound, He who loosed the world
from sins. Those hands were bound, those hands that wrought ten
thousand good deeds. For, “they bound Him,” it saith,
“and led Him away to Caiaphas;” (Matt. xxvii. 2; John
xviii. 24.) yes, He was bound who had wrought so many marvellous
works.

Reflecting on these things, let
us never repine; but whether we be in bonds, let us rejoice; or whether
we be not in bonds, let us be as though we were bound together with
Him. See how great a blessing are bonds! Knowing all these things, let
us send up our thanksgiving for all things to God, through Christ Jesus
our Lord with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Ghost, be
glory, might, and honor, now and forever and ever. Amen.

260 [Christ referred to the glorification with His Father which was to
follow his humiliation. Cf. John xvii. 5. Philip. ii.
9.—G.A.]

261 [“The one requires no less power than the other, the same
divine ἐξουσία enables both to be done. But that ye may know that I was entitled
to say the one, I will prove to you that I have the power to say the
other.”—Meyer. Since neither is easier but each alike
requires divine power, if I can prove to you that I have this divine
power to do one, that will prove to you that I have power to do the
other.—G.A.]

263 [The Jews, when they imprisoned the Apostles as recorded in
Acts v.
19.—G.A.]

264 [The
prison which suggested this discourse (Eph. iv. 1.) was that of
Paul in Rome, but the next one mentioned and discoursed of by St.
Chrysostom was the one in which Paul was at Philippi, Acts
xvi.,
the next one was the prison where Peter was at Jerusalem, and this last
one (Acts v. 19.) at Jerusalem also. No mention has been made of any
imprisonment at Cæsarea.—G.A.]

265 [This
reminds one of the saying of an eccentric evangelist in America who
refering to those that abused and persecuted him for the severity of
his preaching said, “It’s always the hit dog that
yelps.”—G.A.]

266 [This passage reminds one of the famous golden chain of
Homer, σειρὴν
χρυσείην, (Iliad viii. 19–27) to which several allegorical meanings
have been given.—G.A.]

267 [The ancient custom was the reverse of ours, for the preacher
commonly delivered his sermon sitting, and the people heard it
standing.—Bingham Antiquities Bk. xiv. Ch. iv. Sec.
24.—G.A.]

268 [The word in the Greek δοῦλος which means a bond-slave, though softened in the Auth. Ver. to
“servant” and in the Rev. Ver. to
“bond-servant.”—G.A.]

269 [Field’s text has here ἐτὸλμησε, ‘he did not venture;’ but that gives a sense less
satisfactory than the text of Savile and the Oxford translator,
ἐκέλευσε, which is well attested.—G.A.]